Correcting English

The Mad Rapper · 10 May 2007 at 10:30

My GF routinely corrects my English and it gets on my ******* nerves. Despite having told her this numerous times, she continues to do it.

Last night we were watching Grand Designs and at the end of the program when they were showing the finished building, I made the comment that "...they should have went for oak, that mahogony furniture is disgusting". She corrected me, saying "It's gone for, not went for".

I told her it doesn't matter, but we ended up having a silly argument about it and she went into the kitchen in a huff.

Was I wrong in my choice of word or not? Personally I think they both make sense and I've heard people say both.

Tru · 10 May 2007 at 10:31

Strictly speaking, you were wrong, you should have went for 'gone'.

Van_Dammesque · 10 May 2007 at 10:32

The Mad Rapper said:
My GF routinely corrects my English and it gets on my ******* nerves. Despite having told her this numerous times, she continues to do it.

Last night we were watching Grand Designs and at the end of the program when they were showing the finished building, I made the comment that "...they should have went for oak, that mahogony furniture is disgusting". She corrected me, saying "It's gone for, not went for".

I told her it doesn't matter, but we ended up having a silly argument about it and she went into the kitchen in a huff.

Was I wrong in my choice of word or not? Personally I think they both make sense and I've heard people say both.

You have called her a Grammar Nazi haven't you?

Hussman · 10 May 2007 at 10:33

She is trying to help you.

She was, on this occassion, correct.

VIRII · 10 May 2007 at 10:35

The Mad Rapper said:
My GF routinely corrects my English and it gets on my ******* nerves. Despite having told her this numerous times, she continues to do it.

Last night we were watching Grand Designs and at the end of the program when they were showing the finished building, I made the comment that "...they should have went for oak, that mahogony furniture is disgusting". She corrected me, saying "It's gone for, not went for".

I told her it doesn't matter, but we ended up having a silly argument about it and she went into the kitchen in a huff.

Was I wrong in my choice of word or not? Personally I think they both make sense and I've heard people say both.

Chosen would have been better

The Mad Rapper · 10 May 2007 at 10:37

VIRII said:
Chosen would have been better

Good - I can tell her we were both wrong then, she won't be so smug then

unwashed potato! · 10 May 2007 at 10:39

lol i'd be perfect for you girl, i do the same thing as her to my gf, and she does not like it though i only say something on the silly things she says.

She obviously gets annoyed by it so says something otherwise you will continue to do it, and also if she thinks like me, she hates seeing the person she is with doing something stupid, it's very unattractive. also can you not understand then that the amount you get annoyed by her saying something, she gets the same annoyed by you speaking incorrectly and then you don't even care.

I guess i would say your wrong for not saying oops sorry, instead of what you said which can be taken as "i don't care if im annoying you, im going to continue to do it".

kind of hard to explain so hope you understood that

riddlermarc · 10 May 2007 at 10:40

I think it's the way people do it sometimes, not just the fact they do it. I know I speak proper but a lot of people/friends/family I know do not. Most of the time you leave them to it.. I will correct my 5yr old son as I want him to speak correctly as/when he gets older.

To the OP, you should sit her down and tell her you know she is trying to help but if you don't want the "help" then it is just putting a strain on the relationship. She is in the wrong for continuing to straighten you out if she knows it annoys you, but I know how hard it is to bite your tongue - my missus comes out with gems like "bleed like a stuffed pig" and I don't want to upset her or make her think I think she is silly by correcting her.

Good luck and just because you aren't speaking the queen's English doesn't necessarily make it wrong, look at the youth of today (shakes head)..

The Mad Rapper · 10 May 2007 at 10:42

Mammalian said:
lol i'd be perfect for you girl, i do the same thing as her to my gf, and she does not like it though i only say something on the silly things she says.

She obviously gets annoyed by it so says something otherwise you will continue to do it, and also if she thinks like me, she hates seeing the person she is with doing something stupid, it's very unattractive. also can you not understand then that the amount you get annoyed by her saying something, she gets the same annoyed by you speaking incorrectly and then you don't even care.

I guess i would say your wrong for not saying oops sorry, instead of what you said which can be taken as "i don't care if im annoying you, im going to continue to do it".

kind of hard to explain so hope you understood that

I've spoken the same way all my life, and I am not going to lose sleep over the fact that I occassionally chose the wrong word. As long as I can convey my intent well, what does it matter?

I think correcting another persons English is pedantic, rude and arrogant personally. But then I've told her that - I wish she'd get it and stop irritating me.

Helium_Junkie · 10 May 2007 at 10:44

Tru said:
Strictly speaking, you were wrong, you should have went for 'gone'.

rofl

If she keeps doing it after you've told her it annoys you, it's because you're bad English annoys her. Either you need to take her corrections on board and try to learn how to speak 'properly', or she needs to accept that you like sounding like a chav.

fini · 10 May 2007 at 10:44

The Mad Rapper said:
Good - I can tell her we were both wrong then, she won't be so smug then

err, don't do that. She wasn't wrong. Whilst 'chosen' is a better use of language there is nothing grammatically wrong with 'gone', whereas there is a lot wrong with 'went'.

I have to admit that I, on occasion, correct people's use of English. What you have to realise, however, is that incorrect use of English, in itself, can be very irritating. She's probably not correcting you because she wants to annoy you, but because it annoys her.

fini

triggerthat · 10 May 2007 at 10:46

To answer your question, yes - it you were in the wrong.

But more to the point, she keeps correcting you, which despite you telling her not to, annoys you.

Talk to her (Grammar Nazi).

Calder · 10 May 2007 at 10:46

Finish things with her.

Hussman · 10 May 2007 at 10:47

The Mad Rapper said:
As long as I can convey my intent well, what does it matter?

Unfortunately, humans tend to make assumptions very quickly about others. Be it right or not if you speak properly you will, for the most part, be seen by others as more intelligent or a more mature person, than if you speak incorrectly.

I'm not saying this is right or wrong, just how it is.

I see your point that you were with "family", but if you speak incorrectly at home this can very easily happen when you are out or at work etc.

The Mad Rapper · 10 May 2007 at 10:49

Helium_Junkie said:
rofl

If she keeps doing it after you've told her it annoys you, it's because you're bad English annoys her. Either you need to take her corrections on board and try to learn how to speak 'properly', or she needs to accept that you like sounding like a chav.

Wow you're clever aren't you? Saying "went for" instead of "chosen" or "gone for" really makes me a Chav :rolleyes:

Dano · 10 May 2007 at 10:50

Helium_Junkie said:
rofl

If she keeps doing it after you've told her it annoys you, it's because you're bad English annoys her. Either you need to take her corrections on board and try to learn how to speak 'properly', or she needs to accept that you like sounding like a chav.

'you're' bad english? LMAO

Other than that, absolutely

fini · 10 May 2007 at 10:56

The Mad Rapper said:
Wow you're clever aren't you? Saying "went for" instead of "chosen" or "gone for" really makes me a Chav

Helium_Junkie said:
she needs to accept that you like sounding like a chav.

Helium_Junkie · 10 May 2007 at 10:57

Dano said:
'you're' bad english? LMAO

haha, i'm always doing that.

The Mad Rapper said:
Wow you're clever aren't you? Saying "went for" instead of "chosen" or "gone for" really makes me a Chav

I didn't say you were a chav, did I? I said you like to sound like one, because "they should have went for" does sound very chav-like, and as you already said you don't care that you sound like that.
Sorry to offend, but if you don't like it maybe you should try to change?

dirtydog · 10 May 2007 at 11:00

riddlermarc said:
I speak proper

Is that ironic?

PlatinumFX · 10 May 2007 at 11:03

Its not worth losing a relationship over. Persist in telling her you don't like it as long she persists in trying to correct you if you really aren't prepared to compromise (not to imply that equally she shouldn't).